New Photo Book Illuminates Strength Of Gun Violence Survivors

In her new book, 'Shot,' photographer Kathy Shorr tells the stories of gun violence survivors through a collection of moving photographs.

As The Huffington Post notes, 2016 marked more mass shootings in the U.S. than in any other country.

In her new book, Shot: 101 Survivors of Gun Violence in America, photographer Kathy Shorr tells the stories of gun violence survivors through a collection of moving photographs.

“People don’t always think about the survivors,” Shorr told The Huffington Post. “Gun violence survivors are here and have a voice, a very important voice. They have experienced something that is kind of indescribable to someone that hasn’t experienced it.”

Shorr’s book was inspired after she reached out to a man named Antonius, whose story of being shot on a Brooklyn street corner was broadcast on NY1 news. Shorr captured a photograph of Antonious showing his gunshot scar, which was received support from the community.

“At that point I realized this was a project I could really do,” she said. “I always saw it as a book. I just felt that once I started there was no turning back. Especially once I started talking to people and learning their stories, I felt an incredible amount of responsibility to complete the project.”

Photo subjects range from young children to adults. In one photo, an eight-year-old Black girl named Taniya, who was shot by a classmate who brought a gun to school, solemnly poses on an outdoor bench.

“The project was always meant to bring a face to an abstract situation,” Shorr continued. “To show how gun violence affects everyone, not only certain groups of people. Anyone can be shot, anywhere. Many of the people in the project are gun owners themselves; one is even a member of the NRA.”